How to cut your own hair?

The safest approach to cutting your own hair is a trim that follows your current cut, not a dramatic style change. Start with clean, dry hair (wet hair shrinks as it dries, so you’ll cut off more than you expect). Use proper haircutting shears — kitchen scissors will fray the ends.

For a basic straight trim on long hair: brush your hair forward over your face and gather it into a ponytail at your forehead. Slide a hair tie down to where you want to cut, hold the ends firmly, and cut straight across below the tie. Check your length by letting it down in sections. For shorter or layered styles, part your hair normally, take small vertical sections, and trim the ends by following the existing shape.

The golden rule: cut less than you think you need. You can always take more off, but you can’t put it back. For bangs, cut them dry, snip vertically into the ends instead of a blunt horizontal line for a softer look, and cut them longer than you want — they’ll bounce up.